15th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Our readings deal with the dynamic that is at play between Divine Grace and our human free will. Grace is a free gift that comes to us from God that we are unable to purchase, receive elsewhere, or give to another. Freewill is our ability to choose our awn actions which allows us to either accept or reject the gift of His love and grace.

From the Prophet Isaiah we are told how God’s Word is an unstoppable force of nature. Rain and snow come to the earth and they assist in the growth of life. God’s Word brings forth such life to all that it touches. God’s gift to us is grace and we are given such a gift freely even before we might think to ask for it.

In Matthew’s Gospel the seed remains the same to matter where it is scattered. It is the harvest which changes depending upon where it lands. The Prophet Isaiah has already guaranteed that God’s Word is powerful while Matthew’s Gospel points towards us as an individual and our ability to be found receptive of such a gift.

As Saint Augustine stated, “God created us without us, but he will not save us without us.” God’s grace is perfect and it lacks nothing, but God also respects our human dignity and so will not force His grace upon us if we refuse it. 

Each of us are called to embrace holiness in our everyday life which means that we must cooperate with such a gift that comes to us from God. Through such a pursuit we must remember that we have been called upon to be numbered among the saints. The saints are those who strove to love God above all things and died in sanctifying grace, they have now been judged as worthy of Heaven.

It is important that we remember that we do not have to generate holiness for ourself (this would be impossible). The seed being the Word, the Sacraments, and grace already has the power inside in order to make us a saint. Our job is not to manufacture its growth, but to allow such growth to take place inside of us by not impeding God and the gift of His grace.

No matter how we find the soil of our life there is always hope for us to properly prepare it in order that it may bear fruit. A path can always be broken up, rocks can always be dug out, and thorns can always be weeded. Thus spiritual disciplines like prayer, receiving the Eucharist, Confession, and acts of charity help to prepare the soil to bear such fruit.

A farmer would never scatter seed on a dirt path or a thorn bush for this would be a waste. It is God who scatters His grace everywhere without cost. The sower scatters this seed hoping that one day the soil will change in order that it may bear good fruit. Let us cooperate with God in order that our life may change in order that we too may come to bear good fruit by remaining open to the gift of His grace and allowing it to be found at work within us.

14th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Jesus calls out to all of us who laboring and burdened, “come to me.” This invitation is made to those who find themselves exhausted from endless work. From a perspective of faith this is those who feel the heavy burden of their own sins, the struggles of daily life, and the limitations of our human nature.

A promise is made that through Him we will come to find our rest. From such a promise we are immediately told to “take my yoke upon you.” A yoke is a wooden beam used to join two animals together in order that they may pull a plow. We are not to pull this plow alone, but by taking His yoke and being joined unto Him.

It is He who is the stronger partner in this bond who does the heavy lifting while we walk alongside Him. The yoke of Christ is easy for it is tailored to the person and driven by love, which makes even difficult sacrifices feel as if they are light. From the Greek this word “easy” also means “well-fitting.”

In promising rest Jesus is not promising a permanent vacation from the difficulties of this life. We cannot forget the reality of the cross for through it we come to see transformed suffering which brings forth redemption. As we were reminded only last Sunday, “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”

By encountering such rest we come to encounter the peace that Christ alone can bring into our life. With our trust placed in Him we come to understand that we are not the master of own destiny. When we are able to surrender our need to fix everything on our own, we find deep, interior tranquility for we have found our rest in Christ. 

As Saint Augustine stated, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Such a statement invites us to remember the Sabbath rest. Through discovering such rest we step out of the chaos of this world to remember that we are God’s children and are in need of cultivating such a relationship with Him.

The world in which we live is fast paced and thus we cannot even rest for one day. Let us be intentional about how we observe Sunday as a day of rest and not just as another day of the week to get caught up in all that burdens us. The burdens of this life will continue and we will never find rest from them if we refuse to be joined to Christ and find our rest in Him.

Let us turn that area of our life, where we have been attempted to plow own, to one that is yoked to Him. Through such a mentality we invite Christ to enter into that specific struggle, not that it may be removed, but in order that we may find peace. Let us heed this invitation to rest by giving not into despair and attempting to overcome it on our own, but yoked to Christ the Prince of Peace.

13th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

Baptism is an important sacrament of the Church. It is not just a ceremonial washing with water that is done in order to bring family and friends together to celebrate a life event. Baptism is most serious because it leaves a indelible mark upon the soul of the receiver which means that it permanently changes the soul’s relationship to God and can never be erased, even by sin and death. To be baptized means that we are incorporated into a relationship with Christ and His Church.

Saint Paul speaks to the seriousness of this sacrament by stating, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Therefore, when you were submerged in the waters of baptism, your old self bound to sin was buried in Christ’s tomb. When you rose forth from those life giving waters you emerged as a new creation infused with His divine life.

Despite receiving such a wondrous gift we must move forth from those waters conforming our life to Christ. It is easy for us to cease regress to a life old; that being a life on sin and a lack of care for the spiritual life. We not profess baptism to be the end of our walk of faith, but the beginning that moves us forward infused with the gift of God’s grace.

Just because we have received the sacrament of baptism does not mean that we will be judged as worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. To be baptized is to put of faith into action and not squander the time that has been allotted to us. At the earthly life we ought to want to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

In light of this we are told by Christ, “Whoever does not take up his cross…is not worthy of me.” This is a reminder of the importance of the active and daily outworking of our baptism. The cross becomes our “old self” that buried in baptism and tries to crawl back out. We have to put it to death in order that we may continue to place our trust in the Lord and choose to live for Him.

Taking up the cross means that we come to accept the daily sacrifices of this life. This is the friction that exists between choosing love over selfishness and the trails of this life. The cross and choosing to take it up is a recognition that your life is no longer your own for it is to be lived as a true disciple of the Lord.

It is true that the Church teaches that baptism is the necessary starting point for salvation for it washes away original sin and infuses the soul with sanctifying grace. This is not a one time guarantee of heaven for we are called to undergo the lifelong process of faith, obedience, and relationship with God. Baptism is the gate and not the finish line, so let us choose to strive daily to rise from these life giving waters to live for Christ.

12th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The prophet Jeremiah tells us “terror on every side!” Such a statement might seem to be precisely what we are going through in the here and now. It makes known the effects of this broken world, the pain of rejection, and the anxiety of being surrounded by hostility. It can be difficult to carry on when we bear such weight and not give into despair.

But after Jeremiah cries out in such a way he eventually pivots to state, “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion.” Such a statement brings forth the virtue of hope as his gaze has been taken off of his persecutors and placed onto God’s character. We too need to place our trust in God instead of being led into despair of what is too difficult or impossible for us to accomplish.

In our life there can be a lot for us to fear for such terror is constantly being made known. Nevertheless, the Lord instructs, “Fear no one.” Such a statement was made to His disciples for He knew that the path before them would be much like the path that Jeremiah underwent. Despite such a reality He would remind them two times in this short passage, “Do not be afraid.”

These readings are making us reflect on where we place our ultimate security. If our goal is perfect earthly comfort and safety we will constantly live in fear. But if our goal is eternal life with the Father, we can run the race and persevere until the end. Christ has already conquered over death and thus we have nothing to fear for He has redeemed us.

The cost of such discipleship never comes easily. We can see this from the Greek word for witness, this word being where we get the English word martyr. The martyrs were so convinced of the truth of the Gospel that they were found willing to lay down their life in order to protect such truth.

Likewise, despite the “terror on every side” are we called upon to “fear no one.” Just like Jeremiah there will be those who will shout “denounce him,” but we cannot give into their cry. We must stand solid in our practice of faith and live the faith without compromise. If this be so we even if we never spill our blood for Christ like a martyr will persevere out of witness for Him.

We are called upon to live out all Catholic truths and not just the ones that we find to be convenient. We must stand up for the vulnerable, we must speak out against injustice, we must live out the moral teachings of the Church, we must come to Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation to give God proper laud, honor, and glory, and we must live out a relationship with Him and His Word through prayer.

Yes, the world wants us to think that such a task is impossible, is inconvenient, is not in line with the majority, but Christ reminds us that we have been set apart for we have been claimed by Him upon the cross. Never give into fear and never fall into despair for through Christ we find the strength to transform our earthly terrors into an unwavering witness of hope.

11th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

This past Friday the Church observed the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In light of our nation’s 250th anniversary our bishops consecrated our nation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today we reconsecrate our parish to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in order that we may rekindle such faith in Him and His mercy which endures forever. It is His heart which has been moved with pity for us.

When we look at the image of the Sacred Heart we notice a heart which is encircled by a crown of thorns. This represents human sin, coldness, and active rejection to the gift that Christ has offered onto us. As Saint Paul explained in our Epistle that His love is poured out right into the middle of our mess and hostility, not after we’ve cleaned ourselves up.

Saint Paul mentions that we are “justified by his blood” and “reconciled to God through the death of his Son.” In the imagery of the Sacred Heart we see a distinct wound in the side of the heart. This is a reference to Saint John’s Gospel where the solider pierced Christ’s side and blood and water poured forth. This devotion emphasis the fact that His heart was literally broken open to pour out mercy upon a helpless world.

Despite what would seem to be helplessness we see great hope being proclaimed. As Saint Paul states, “how much ore, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” In the image of the Sacred Heart we see the flame that brings with it such hope as light is brought forth. We are sacred by His active, resurrected life, and He like this flame continues to pursue us into the here and now.

The consecration of our parish to the Sacred Heart means to consciously and deliberately place our entire community inside this furnace of divine love. Such a consecration calls us back to a spiritual realignment of what is important. We do not rely on our achievements, programs, or strength, but upon the overflowing mercy of Christ. We are asking that we may make our hearts like His.

This consecration must transcend the walls of this church and overflow into the domestic church, that being our homes. When we practice such devotion to the Sacred Heart especially through the Enthronement of one’s home to the Sacred Heart we are declaring that Jesus is the true head of our household. By setting apart a place of honor for His image transforms the home from anxiety to peace and from conflict to reconciliation.

It is precisely from the home and the parish that the renewal of our society takes place. Looking at the world we see fractures in the family, division throughout our nation, and unrest throughout the world. Such a glimpse can be daunting for us, the flame at the top of the Sacred Heart assures us that His mercy is actively pursuing the world. No matter how much culture wanders from Him  it is never beyond that reach of His Pierced Heart. If we are found willing to return to Him, His grace will ripple outward, and more will come to know of the fire of His love.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.